Half is one of two equal or approximately equal parts of a divisible whole. Half can be of an object, unit of measure or Time; half (½).

Half is as valuable as whole, or may be more, how? Well, in the first place at least you started, and then arrived at the half way mark, giving you a reason to look back or around and assess the direction. In sports, half time provides a break for athletes to regroup and assess their performance and make adjustments for the remaining half. In work spaces, Half-time is the time to strategise, either to change the way a project is going or continue it all the way. Additionally, the concept of half time can be applied to personal reflection and planning. Its also the best time to whip and wake yourself up if needed be, out of slumber.

The now gone June marked my 5 Years of Blogging. 5 years of writing Stories, Essays, Travel Journals and particularly my understandings of Yoga, Politics and Art. Some research work across cultures and regions. I have been archiving folklores, works of some of my favourite artists and even documenting Weddings in far away regions of India and Nepal. ROAD To NARA also gave me the opportunity to share about my School and my way of Education as whole. But above all Writing here brought me some kind of fulfilment. It allowed me to write and write without thinking of expecting. It has made me a better decision maker and gradually a better editor.

I started this blog from the depth of wholeness that Corona had brought five years ago. Till then I was more of a Teacher, an observing photographer who was archiving more. It was a time of reflection and revelation as it was for most. And Five years isn’t a long time when you know writing is not an option but it is more like breathing. It is happening. I don’t have to think about good or bad writing or writer’s block, nothing, it doesn’t exist for me. Either you are writing or not. And also It is not actually about blogging as much it is about sharing, just creating from thoughts, experiences and passing ideas on. I learnt it early and ever since I made peace with Subscribers or views, that of course they do matter when your daily bread depends upon it but I do not think WordPress is kind enough to give us any BREAD options in 2025 like ‘SUBWAY’ does. Yet these five years saw me writing close to 250 posts, over 4.3 Lac Words, just under 3k Subscribers, around hundred and Twenty million views. And some relationships that have kept me grounded and many who transcended beyond here. It has been an inclusive journey and continuing it only makes me feel excited as I try to make each week more relevant in terms of words I publish here for all of us.

End of JUNE also marked the end of six month period for 2025. 180 days gone and 180 or so days left.

As I look back to this year to make sense of what went, and what is there to come. And like life is, half of this year went in one blink. And seems like by the time we blink again we might be knocking onto 2026. But before we do, this year has been busy for me. Decision making has been better. And Life has unfolded in ways I wasn’t expecting it but well to be true that is how I like it. The places I visited and the journeys I had the courage to take have always been a blessing. Mahadeva has been kind.

So a quick Recap of 2025

Kumbh of Kumbhs– the Mahakumbh was taking place starting from January after 144 Years in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh and not only I but whole of the Spiritual world was quite upbeat and excited about it. It was going to be a huge event, the largest congregation of humans on Earth as they say. But the only difference was that It was not I who was travelling but my parents who decided to spend more than a month soaking in the festivities at Kumbh. And that meant taking over the highest responsibility at School without Mother being there. January was spent in taking the charge of an administrator. Not that I am new to it but this time was different.

Mid February was the time when I got to travel to Mahakumbh. But unlike 2013 or 2019 going to Kumbh this time felt like a task, an uncomfortable and steep challenge. The crowd, its unwavering energy, The news, the noise and all the hullabaloo was too rambunctious, too boisterous to ignore. Everyone had this question, are you going? Or have you taken the dip? Mahakumbh must have been the most uttered word earlier this year. Getting a train Ticket was another dare. It was crazy how whole of India had decided to pay any amount. Everything seemed hyped, overloaded, overcrowded, highways jammed, roads blocked, moving from one place to another was no straight matter. Staying or moving was alike. And when the once empty ghats gave way to an event like Mahakumbh; when even in the dead of the night, a million people are arriving and exiting, dust and dry sand particles are permanently above and around you at any given time. The administration had to take the insecticidal route to keep the river and the environment clean. Thousands of Litres of toxicants were released in the environment that you could not go uninfected. My mother, Maharaj Ji, one of my Guru and whosoever I knew had the hardest time recovering. The infection hit their throat and body hard. One couldn’t speak with swollen throats as they coughed all day. And then I arrived to have it. I had it. And moved through the wildest event exhausted but still documenting the beautiful, once in a lifetime colours of chaos.

Looking back at it today, the magnanimity of the occasion and your presence was all worth it.

Sharing images from the Mahakumbh Times

Late Feb to Mid March, was a sacred time I had already kept out for Mahashivratri. And even though my throat was oppressing my whole body from receiving and expressing; coughing, I met Sumanto at a secret place inside Nizamuddin Railway Station that only he could have discovered. We met in the dead of the night, six hours earlier from the departure of our train and walked the station to ends. Railway stations are a world of their own. The rhythm of Iron, the never ending sounds of the biggest machines running and stopping. The wandering, suspecting, cautious, cagey, keen, some distracted, many absent, backpackers, attendants, vendors, stokers, porters, playful dreamy people waiting, arriving, leaving the station in the hues of the night, the sights and life of Railway stations are mischievously alluring.

We were going to Dakshin Kashi, Gokarna in Karnataka. We had decided to be there for Mahashivratri. But my weak body and gone throat had me so bad that the moment I stood in front of the Rudrapada(feet of the violent god) Sea, i asked him to please take my illnesses away and I will do anything! And you know what, four days into it. He actually did, on 26th February, the day of Mahashivratri this year. But only after teaching a lesson of my life. It was nearly breath taking. I understood to never ask anything but wait.

I was coming back to Gokarna after 7 years and Sumanto after over a decade. We both have such strong memories of Gokarna that had given us pleasure and the hardest time in the same duration. But somewhere down the line it also felt like an important and inevitable purification process. I have spent some of the most beautiful days of my life in Gokarna, around four months when I was writing my Kashmir Stories. That time here helped me delve deeper into my own being. It was more like structuring the expansion that had happened after the Kashmir phase. Also because this place apart from the Himalayas has strangely played the most important role in my Spiritual Growth over the years. And more than caressing me, it has frightened me, it has shaken and woken me up from unknown layers of slumbers. And this time was no different. Something happened that felt more like a punishment than a test. Even after all these years now when I am married and thought Mother Nature is protecting me but no, the test had to come. And who knows it could be a pattern which I somehow resisted. You know there is a saying in Kashi i.e. Varanasi that one has to leave something, anything that is dearest to us in order to detach ourselves from what we wanted most, that is if one is visiting Kashi, the Shiva Bhoomi. And for me if not Varanasi, it has been true for Gokarna. Because had it only been me I would be suspecting it but something hitting also happened with Sumanto, in front of me. It spiralled back as a pattern and could only be manoeuvred once I arrived and intervened.

In Essence, It was a beautiful, auspicious and vibrant time to pay a visit to Mahadeva during Mahashivratri. The house we got at Krishna Da’s place was again a blessing. Sumanto heartily took care of it. For two weeks we slept on the floor, on Jute mats. Ate Sattvik food that we both anyhow do, Swam the Sea, walked mostly barefoot, wandered through the town, Scooted when needed and meditated throughout our stay. It was just something what we went there for.

In coming weeks I will work on a short films from the Gokarna days and post it on the ROAD To NARA YouTube Channel.

Sharing some images of the sacred times with Sumanto, from Gokarna, Karnataka.

April came with lots of work on the writing and the School part again. I was assisting a Professor in her thesis on Nilmata Puran on Kashmir History and alongside came the time when School Inspection and its legal recognition was due. And it was due for over 15 Years, no less. There are many things that authorities look into and for recognising a school. And it doesn’t mean any funding or assistance. Recognition is just that the school is maintaining basic education standards and is complying with what is required. Ours is based on Ancient Indian Educational Structure and slowly we are developing ways to inculcate children’s ability to understand Life’s elements better while providing the education that most parents require. Hence, Many visits, meetings and paperwork’s later, a big obstacle was cleared. The Dream school that I call it got its due recognition by the time my Second Wedding Anniversary arrived. Yes, second. Who would have thought!

Out of nowhere one morning, Maharaj Ji called and asked about my whereabouts. It was early May. He had been in India for over 4 months since Mahakumbh. And time for his departure was coming near. Guru’s never ask you to visit them unless it’s absolutely necessary. I decided to pay him a quick visit in Udaipur Ashram.

I left Delhi again. And you know, every time I leave Delhi for a town or even a city, I am surprised with how pleasant the life is outside. First thing that you always notice moving out of Delhi is how vast and wide-ranging the sky becomes. There are no more glimpses of Moons and Suns between buildings rather you become an observer of a painting happening. The colours change every second hour, the air feels welcoming and the houses, other structures, the trees, cattle all seem to be a part of one ongoing mystery. And when you are visiting a city like Udaipur, it pulls you in to see; colours first of all.

Maharaj Ji was sitting at his desk outside his hut when I arrived. This was the same place where he initiated me into homa- the fire practices for the nine planets, 6 years ago. Then I had stayed here for 18 days. And the vibe of those times was still lingering somewhere or at least within me. We spent two isolated days walking and talking about anything and everything about the world outside and within. When we got news of Vishwa coming to meet Maharaj Ji. He was driving from Karnataka on his way to Almora, Uttarakhand. And on a whim It was decided that It will be great to give a send off to Maharaj Ji from the Himalayas before he leaves India. And so we did.

We left Udaipur early morning.

2025 also brought a change in the way I see education now. And its seeds were sown Last year when I decided to go back to studies. It happened due to some experiences in the neighbourhood and then the alarming rise of children who are coming to school with learning disabilities. There is a strong need for Inclusive education now. With increase in technological comfort, and for the lack of awareness amongst parents, it is required that Schools prepare themselves to create inclusive spaces.

Hence I decided to enrol myself in a two-year masters course for teaching and understanding the Psychology of Children with Special Needs. It is a brilliant course that has given me immense insight into the world of education and how as educators we can create inclusive classrooms, Schools, Societies, Institutions and help not just the students but counsel and educate the parents in understanding various needs of their children.

Inclusive education is the need of the hour. It should be mandatory and Special Educators are the best equipped persons to identify and intervene early if needed be to uncover and promote a child’s skill or ability according to his or her behaviour.

So yes, the course started late last year and exams were announced in May. So whatever assignment and travelling plans were there, were put on hold and I started studying. It was a marathon of papers one after other throughout June. Imagine giving thirteen(13), 100 mark papers in 28 days. It was an absolute energy sucking period of a month. Never before I felt drained out yet it was an exciting challenge with the amount of Knowledge, studies and writing for 3 straight hours. travelling to another state and coming back and sit right after and repeat the process again. But it all ended well, or so I hope. Results are awaited.

As June ends and I the results, i look forward to the rains. And wish for some fresh creation’s in the months to come.

Of course nothing will be hidden from my digital family that you all are. Will be sharing however and whatever shape the time will let me take.

I wish for a profound last six months for you all. If there is anything that you need to revive or complete, this is the best time to start.

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Thank you

If today is the first time you have arrived on The Road To Nara, you are heartily welcome ~ Namaste

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ROAD TO NARA is an Ethnographic Blog of History, Stories of Culture, Art, People, Rivers, Folk, Mysticism, Meditation, Mountains, Trees and Tantra Yoga- Science of Ancient India and the Indigenous World that brings World’s Most Important Stories to your mailbox.

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I will take this opportunity to introduce you to About me and importantly

As a co-traveller, will take you through the Ten Lessons I learnt from several years on the road, before you coarse on your own Road to Nara.

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You might also like to know about My Little School Project.

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If you have anything to share, or feel like saying a hello, please feel free to write to me at lotusofnara@gmail.com

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